Redox flow battery bipolar plate shaping device and process

Abstract

The redox flow battery bipolar plate shaping device comprises a machine frame, four stand columns are vertically arranged on a top plate, a cross beam plate is horizontally installed on the tops of the stand columns, an acting cylinder is vertically installed in the middle of the cross beam plate, and a downward pressing head of the acting cylinder is connected with a pressing plate assembly in a pressing mode; the bottom platform is horizontally arranged on a top plate of the rack, an asbestos base plate frame is arranged on the top surface of the bottom platform, a flow battery bipolar plate sheet needing shape correction is placed in the asbestos base plate frame, the thickness of the asbestos base plate frame is matched with that of the flow battery bipolar plate sheet, and the asbestos base plate frame is arranged on the bottom surface of the bottom platform. The pressure plate assembly is used for flatly pressing the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery onto the top surface of the bottom platform; and the temperature adjusting assembly is used for heating the bottom platform and the pressing plate assembly. According to the invention, thermal shaping is carried out on the carbon-plastic composite bipolar plate, so that the warping degree of the bipolar plate sheet is qualified, and the product yield is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of bipolar plates for flow batteries, and in particular to a shaping device and process for bipolar plates of flow batteries. Background Art

[0002] Flow energy storage batteries form a stack in the form of multiple groups of units stacked in series. The electrode plates therein are both the negative electrodes of the previous battery unit and the positive electrodes of the next battery unit, so they are called bipolar plates. At present, in order to improve the toughness of the bipolar plates, more and more bipolar plates for flow batteries on the market use carbon-added conductive sheets with a thermoplastic resin substrate, that is, carbon-plastic composite bipolar plates. The thermoplastic resin substrate mainly uses polyethylene or polypropylene, and the carbon-plastic composite bipolar plates often use an extrusion calendering process, which is convenient for automated mass production.

[0003] For the existing carbon-plastic composite bipolar plates, after being cut into rectangular sheets with a specification of 2 meters × 1.2 meters, they are supplied to the battery assembly factory for further processing. As a supplier of carbon-plastic composite bipolar plates, the applicant needs to detect the thickness, warpage, airtightness, resistivity, etc. of the rectangular bipolar plate sheets. If it is found that the warpage of the bipolar plate sheets is unqualified, for example, there are local wrinkles, bulges or depressions, and it exceeds the standard of the dimensional requirements, usually this bipolar plate needs to be scrapped. If the bipolar plate sheets with unqualified dimensions can be trimmed to be qualified, the scrap rate will be greatly reduced and the product yield will be improved.

[0004] In order to overcome the above problems, a shaping device and process for bipolar plates of flow batteries are needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a shaping device and process for bipolar plates of flow batteries, which perform thermal shaping on the carbon-plastic composite bipolar plates, so that the warpage of the bipolar plate sheets is qualified and the product yield is improved.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A shaping device for bipolar plates of flow batteries according to the present invention includes:

[0008] A frame, on the top plate of which four columns are vertically arranged. A cross beam plate is horizontally installed at the top of the columns. A working cylinder is vertically installed in the middle of the cross beam plate, and the downward pressing head of the working cylinder presses against a pressing plate assembly.

[0009] A bottom platform, which is horizontally arranged on the top plate of the frame. An asbestos pad frame is arranged on the top surface of the bottom platform. The bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery to be shaped is placed in the asbestos pad frame. The thickness of the asbestos pad frame is adapted to the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery, and the pressing plate assembly presses the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery flat onto the top surface of the bottom platform.

[0010] A temperature control component for heating the bottom platform and the pressing plate component.

[0011] Furthermore, the pressing plate component includes a plurality of pressing plates stacked horizontally. Guide sleeves for guiding and sliding connection with the columns are arranged at the four corner positions of the pressing plates. Compression springs for separating the pressing plates are arranged between adjacent guide sleeves and between the lowermost guide sleeve and the top plate of the frame. A set of asbestos gasket frames are arranged on the top surface of each pressing plate except the uppermost one, and the bipolar plates of the flow battery to be orthopedically corrected are placed inside the asbestos gasket frames. The temperature control component heats the pressing plates.

[0012] Furthermore, the asbestos gasket frame is a rectangular frame, and the side strip facing the operator's operating end is a detachable sealing gasket.

[0013] Furthermore, a heat insulation pad is compounded on the horizontal bottom surface of the lower pressing head, and the heat insulation pad contacts the top surface of the uppermost pressing plate.

[0014] Furthermore, a rectangular opening is arranged in the middle of the pressing plate, and a thickening partition with an increased thickness is installed in the rectangular opening. The thickness of the thickening partition is greater than the height of the guide sleeve. The asbestos gasket frame is placed on the top surface of the thickening partition.

[0015] Furthermore, the temperature control component is a heat-conducting oil supply unit. Oil passage structures are arranged on both the bottom platform and the thickening partition, and the temperature control component supplies circulating heat-conducting oil to the oil passage structures.

[0016] Furthermore, the oil passage structure includes an oil inlet pipe joint, an oil outlet pipe joint, an oil inlet cross pipe, branch pipes, and an oil outlet cross pipe. The oil inlet cross pipe and the oil outlet cross pipe are arranged on both sides of the bottom platform and the thickening partition along the long side direction. A plurality of branch pipes are vertically connected between the oil inlet cross pipe and the oil outlet cross pipe. The root of the oil inlet pipe joint is connected to the middle position of the oil inlet cross pipe, and the two oil outlet pipe joints are connected to both ends of the oil outlet cross pipe. The oil outlet port of the temperature control component is connected to all the oil inlet pipe joints through a corrugated pipe, and all the oil outlet pipe joints are converged through a corrugated pipe and then connected to the oil return port of the temperature control component.

[0017] Furthermore, the temperature control component includes an oil tank, an oil pump, and a switching valve. The oil tank includes a hot oil chamber and a cold oil chamber, and the switching valve can switch the oil pump to pump the heat-conducting oil in the hot oil chamber or the cold oil chamber to the oil inlet pipe joint and return the oil to the corresponding oil chamber.

[0018] Further, it further includes an air valve. The switching valve is a multi-station switching valve block. The air valve is connected to the evacuation station or the air-cooling station of the switching valve. The intake pipe joint at the intake end of the air valve is connected to a compressed air supply unit, and a muffler is connected to the outlet end of the air valve.

[0019] The present invention also discloses a shaping process for a flow battery bipolar plate, which uses the above-mentioned flow battery bipolar plate shaping device to shape the flow battery bipolar plate sheet material, and includes the following steps:

[0020] S1. Prepare materials, and place the warped bipolar plate on the material tank;

[0021] S2. Apply preliminary pressure and heat up, apply a pressure of 0.5 MPa and heat up by 50 degrees;

[0022] S3. Heat up and maintain pressure, heat up by 165 degrees, apply a pressure of 2 MPa for 0.5 hours;

[0023] S4. Cool down by air cooling, maintain a pressure of 0.5 MPa and cool down to 80 degrees;

[0024] S5. Cool down by oil cooling, maintain a pressure of 0.5 MPa and cool down to room temperature;

[0025] S6. Discharge the material.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are:

[0027] The double - plate shaping device for the flow - battery of the present invention is configured as a four - column press, which facilitates uniform pressing of large - area flow - battery bipolar plates that need to be pressurized. By arranging an asbestos backing plate frame between the bottom platform and the platen assembly, on the one hand, it plays a role of spacing, preventing the flow - battery bipolar plates from being crushed and limiting the pressing height; on the other hand, it plays a role of enclosing to prevent heat loss, ensuring that the temperature of the periphery and the middle of the flow - battery bipolar plates is uniformly consistent. The double - plate shaping device for the flow - battery of the present invention performs thermal shaping on carbon - plastic composite bipolar plates, making the warpage degree of the bipolar plate sheets qualified and improving the product yield. In addition, by adding multiple horizontally stacked platens, a flow - battery bipolar plate sheet can be placed on each of the lower platens, enabling synchronous shaping of multiple flow - battery bipolar plate sheets in one shaping operation, thus improving the operation efficiency. Through the elastic spacer guide sleeve of the compression spring, the platens are spaced apart, facilitating the placement and removal of the flow - battery bipolar plate sheets. By setting a detachable sealing backing plate at one end of the asbestos backing plate frame, it is convenient for the operation of placing and removing the flow - battery bipolar plate sheets. By adding the heat - insulating pad on the bottom surface of the lower platen, the heat transfer from the platen upwards can be reduced, increasing the service life of the actuator cylinder. By adding a split - type thickening partition, both the upper and lower surfaces can act on the flow - battery bipolar plate sheets. Secondly, on the one hand, it is convenient to heat the thickening partition separately; on the other hand, it avoids jamming when the platen is thermally deformed and cooperates with the column, ensuring continuous sliding fit. By opening the oil - path structure on the bottom platform and the thickening partition, uniform heating of the bottom platform and the thickening partition with heat - conducting oil can be achieved. By setting the oil - path structure with vertically and horizontally arranged oil channels, the heat - conducting oil uniformly passes through the bottom platform and the thickening partition, thereby realizing uniform temperature rise of the flow - battery bipolar plate sheets. By setting a fuel tank including a hot - oil cavity and a cold - oil cavity as the heat - conducting oil storage component of the temperature - regulating assembly, not only can heating of the bottom platform and the thickening partition be realized, but also cooling can be achieved, shortening the shaping process time and improving the operation efficiency. Through the setting of the switching valve, the alternating operation of the hot - oil cavity and the cold - oil cavity can be realized. By adding an air valve, air cooling of the bottom platform and the thickening partition can be achieved. Compared with oil cooling, a relatively gentle cooling rate is maintained, avoiding distortion or stress deformation of the flow - battery bipolar plate sheets caused by sudden cooling.

[0028] The flow - battery bipolar - plate shaping process of the present invention shapes the flow - battery bipolar plate sheets to be orthopedized by means of gradually increasing pressure and temperature, maintaining temperature and pressure, and gradually cooling and reducing pressure. While being able to reshape, there is no thermal shock during the entire process, ensuring the stability and continuity of the internal materials of the bipolar plates and not reducing the electrical performance. Moreover, oil heating, air cooling, and oil cooling all use the same set of built - in oil - path structure, making the structure compact, with small heat and cold losses and high energy utilization efficiency. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a schematic front view structure diagram of the bipolar plate shaping device for a flow battery of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 It is a schematic right view structure diagram of the bipolar plate shaping device for a flow battery of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3 It is a schematic top view structure diagram of the pressing plate of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 is Figure 3 A schematic top view structure diagram in the state of showing the oil circuit;

[0034] Figure 5 It is a schematic front sectional view structure diagram of the fuel tank part of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 6 It is a process flow diagram of the bipolar plate shaping process for the flow battery of the present invention.

[0036] Description of reference numerals: 1. Frame; 2. Bottom platform; 3. Column; 4. Acting cylinder; 401. Lower pressing head; 5. Pressing plate; 501. Inlet oil pipe joint; 502. Return oil pipe joint; 503. Thickening partition; 5031. Installation claw plate; 504. Guide sleeve; 505. Inlet oil cross pipe; 506. Branch pipe; 507. Outlet oil cross pipe; 6. Asbestos gasket frame; 601. Sealing gasket; 7. Compression spring; 8. Fuel tank; 801. Hot oil cavity; 8011. Heating unit; 802. Cold oil cavity; 8021. Refrigeration unit; 803. Heat insulation layer; 9. Oil pump; 10. Switching valve; 11. Air valve; 1101. Inlet air pipe joint; 1102. Muffler; 12. Electric control box. Detailed implementation manners

[0037] The core of the present invention is to provide a bipolar plate shaping device and process for a flow battery, which performs thermal shaping on a carbon-plastic composite bipolar plate to make the warpage degree of the bipolar plate sheet qualified and improve the product yield.

[0038] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0040] Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view structural schematic diagram of the bipolar plate shaping device of the present invention for a flow battery; Figure 2 is a right view structural schematic diagram of the bipolar plate shaping device of the present invention for a flow battery; Figure 3 is a top view structural schematic diagram of the pressing plate of the present invention; Figure 4 is Figure 3 a top view structural schematic diagram showing the oil circuit state; Figure 5 is a front view sectional structural schematic diagram of the fuel tank part of the present invention; Figure 6 is a process flow diagram of the bipolar plate shaping of the flow battery of the present invention.

[0041] In a specific embodiment, as Figures 1 to 5 shown, the bipolar plate shaping device of the flow battery of the present invention includes:

[0042] A frame 1, which is a rectangular bottom frame formed by welding square tubes and has a horizontal top plate at the top. Four vertical columns 3 are vertically installed on the top plate. A cross beam plate is horizontally installed at the top of the vertical columns 3. A working cylinder 4 is vertically installed in the middle of the cross beam plate. The working cylinder 4 specifically uses a hydraulic cylinder. The downward pressing head 401 of the working cylinder 4 presses against the pressing plate assembly.

[0043] A bottom platform 2 is horizontally arranged on the top plate of the frame 1. An asbestos gasket frame 6 is placed on the top surface of the bottom platform 2. The bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery to be straightened is placed into the asbestos gasket frame 6. The thickness of the asbestos gasket frame 6 is adapted to the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery, and it is stipulated that the thickness of the asbestos gasket frame 6 is consistent with the thickness requirement of the standard bipolar plate. The pressing plate assembly presses the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery flat onto the top surface of the bottom platform 2.

[0044] A temperature regulating component heats the bottom platform 2 and the pressing plate assembly.

[0045] By setting the whole machine in the form of a four-column press, it is convenient to uniformly press the large-area flow battery bipolar plate sheets that need to be pressurized. By arranging the asbestos gasket frame 6 between the bottom platform 2 and the pressing plate assembly, on the one hand, it plays a role of spacing, preventing the flow battery bipolar plate sheets from being crushed and limiting the pressing height. On the other hand, it plays a role of enclosing to prevent heat loss, ensuring that the temperatures around and in the middle of the flow battery bipolar plate sheets are uniform. The flow battery bipolar plate shaping device of the present invention performs thermal shaping on the carbon-plastic composite bipolar plate, making the warpage degree of the bipolar plate sheets qualified and improving the product yield rate.

[0046] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figures 1 to 4 shown, the pressing plate assembly includes a plurality of horizontally stacked pressing plates 5. Guide sleeves 504 for guiding and sliding connection with the columns 3 are arranged at the four corner positions of the pressing plate 5, and the inner lining of the guide sleeve 504 is a tin bronze sleeve with good wear resistance. Compression springs 7 for separating the pressing plates 5 are arranged between adjacent guide sleeves 504 and between the lowermost guide sleeve 504 and the top plate of the frame 1. The elastic force of the compression spring 7 can space apart each pressing plate 5 in the retracted state of the acting cylinder 4. A set of asbestos gasket frames 6 are arranged on the top surface of each pressing plate 5 except the uppermost pressing plate 5, and the flow battery bipolar plate sheets to be straightened are placed inside the asbestos gasket frames 6. The temperature control component heats each pressing plate 5.

[0047] Specifically, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the compression spring 7 can be a cylindrical helical spring or a set of disc springs connected in series.

[0048] By adding a plurality of horizontally stacked pressing plates 5, a flow battery bipolar plate sheet can be placed on each of the lower pressing plates 5, so that a single shaping operation can synchronously shape multiple flow battery bipolar plate sheets, improving the operation efficiency; by elastically spacing the guide sleeves 504 with the compression springs 7, each pressing plate 5 is spaced apart, facilitating the placement and removal of the flow battery bipolar plate sheets.

[0049] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 3 shown, the asbestos gasket frame 6 is a rectangular frame, and the side strip facing the operator's operating end is a detachable sealing gasket 601. The main body of the asbestos gasket frame 6 can be adhered to the pressing plate 5, and the thickness of the sealing gasket 601 is the same as that of the main body of the asbestos gasket frame 6.

[0050] By setting the detachable sealing gasket 601 at one end of the asbestos gasket frame 6, it is convenient for operation when placing and removing the flow battery bipolar plate sheets.

[0051] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, a heat insulation pad is compounded on the horizontal bottom surface of the lower pressing head 401, and the heat insulation pad contacts the top surface of the uppermost pressing plate 5.

[0052] By adding the heat insulation pad on the bottom surface of the lower pressing head 401, the heat transfer from the pressing plate 5 upwards can be reduced, and the service life of the acting cylinder 4 is increased.

[0053] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, a rectangular opening is provided in the middle of the pressing plate 5, and a thickening partition plate 503 with an increased thickness is installed in the rectangular opening. The thickening partition plate 503 is parallel to the main body of the pressing plate 5. The thickness of the thickening partition plate 503 is greater than the height of the guide sleeve 504, that is, the top surface and the bottom surface of the thickening partition plate 503 both exceed the upper and lower end surfaces of the guide sleeve 504. An asbestos gasket frame 6 is placed on the top surface of the thickening partition plate 503.

[0054] Specifically, as Figures 2 to 4 shown, the inner side wall of the rectangular opening and the side wall of the thickening partition plate 503 do not contact each other, and the thickening partition plate 503 is installed on the pressing plate 5 through four installation claw plates 5031 on the periphery.

[0055] Specifically, the installation claw plates 5031 are installed on the pressing plate 5 through screws, and a composite pad for blocking heat transfer is directly padded between the bottom surface of the installation claw plates 5031 and the pressing plate 5.

[0056] By adding the split thickening partition plate 503, it can act on the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery on both the upper and lower surfaces. Secondly, on the one hand, it is convenient to heat the thickening partition plate 503 separately, and on the other hand, it avoids jamming when the pressing plate 5 is thermally deformed and cooperating with the column 3, and cannot continue the sliding fit.

[0057] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, the temperature control component is a heat-conducting oil supply unit, and oil circuit structures are provided on both the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503. The temperature control component supplies circulating heat-conducting oil to the oil circuit structures.

[0058] Specifically, temperature measurement holes are provided on the side walls of both the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503, and thermocouples are installed in the temperature measurement holes. The thermocouples are electrically connected to the electric control box 12 of the equipment.

[0059] Obviously, the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503 can also be heated by an electric heating method, such as in the form of an electric heating rod or an electric heating plate. Similar simple replacement methods all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0060] Specifically, as Figure 4As shown in the figure, the oil circuit structure includes an inlet pipe joint 501, an outlet pipe joint 502, an inlet oil transverse pipe 505, a branch pipe 506, and an outlet oil transverse pipe 507. The inlet oil transverse pipe 505 and the outlet oil transverse pipe 507 are arranged on both sides of the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503 along the long side direction, and a plurality of branch pipes 506 are vertically connected between the inlet oil transverse pipe 505 and the outlet oil transverse pipe 507. The root of the inlet pipe joint 501 is connected to the middle position of the inlet oil transverse pipe 505, and the two outlet pipe joints 502 are connected to both ends of the outlet oil transverse pipe 507. The oil outlet port of the temperature control component is connected to all the inlet pipe joints 501 through a metal corrugated pipe, and all the outlet pipe joints 502 are connected to the oil return port of the temperature control component after being converged through a metal corrugated pipe.

[0061] For the split pressing plate 5, the pressing plate 5 is provided with through holes at the positions of the inlet pipe joint 501 and the outlet pipe joint 502, and the pipe joint passes through the through holes here and is connected to the connecting threaded bottom hole on the thickened partition plate 503.

[0062] By providing the oil circuit structure on the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503, uniform heating of the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503 with heat-conducting oil can be achieved. Through the oil circuit structure with horizontally and vertically arranged oil channels, the heat-conducting oil uniformly passes through the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503, thereby realizing uniform temperature rise of the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery.

[0063] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 5 shown, the temperature control component includes an oil tank 8, an oil pump 9, and a switching valve 10. The oil tank 8 includes a hot oil cavity 801 and a cold oil cavity 802. A heating unit 8011 is arranged in the cavity of the hot oil cavity 801. The heating unit 8011 specifically adopts an electric heating rod, and a heat insulation layer is arranged between the inner liner of the hot oil cavity 801 and the shell of the oil tank 8. A refrigeration unit 8021 is arranged in the cold oil cavity 802, and the refrigeration unit 8021 is the evaporator of a refrigeration device. The switching valve 10 can switch the heat-conducting oil in the hot oil cavity 801 or the cold oil cavity 802 to be pumped to the inlet pipe joint 501 and return to the corresponding oil cavity. That is, the switching valve 10 includes a heating working position and a refrigeration working position. When the valve core block is switched to the heating working position, the heat-conducting oil in the hot oil cavity 801 is circulated and pumped; when the valve core block is switched to the refrigeration working position, the heat-conducting oil in the cold oil cavity 802 is circulated and pumped. The switching valve 10 can be a manual valve or an electric valve. The heating unit 8011, the refrigeration unit 8021, the oil pump 9, and the switching valve 10 are electrically connected to the electric control box 12.

[0064] By providing the oil tank 8 including the hot oil cavity 801 and the cold oil cavity 802 as the heat-conducting oil storage component of the temperature control component, not only can the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503 be heated, but also the temperature can be reduced, shortening the shaping process time and improving the operation efficiency; through the setting of the switching valve 10, the alternating operation of the hot oil cavity 801 and the cold oil cavity 802 can be realized.

[0065] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, as Figure 5 shown, it further includes an air valve 11. The switching valve 10 is a multi-station switching valve block, and an evacuation station and an air-cooling station are added on the basis of the heating station and the refrigeration station. The air valve 11 is connected to the evacuation station or the air-cooling station of the switching valve 10. The intake pipe joint 1101 at the intake end of the air valve 11 is connected to the compressed air supply unit, and a muffler 1102 is connected to the outlet end of the air valve 11. When the spool block of the switching valve 10 is switched to the evacuation station, the heat-conducting oil is ejected by the compressed air and discharged into the hot oil chamber 801; when the spool block of the switching valve 10 is switched to the air-cooling station, the compressed air passes through the oil circuit structure to air-cool and cool the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503, and finally the compressed air is discharged through the muffler 1102.

[0066] Specifically, the compressed air supply unit can be an air pump or a compressed air gas cylinder.

[0067] By adding the air valve 11, the bottom platform 2 and the thickened partition plate 503 can be air-cooled and cooled. Compared with oil cooling, a relatively gentle cooling rate is maintained, and distortion or stress deformation caused by sudden cooling of the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery is avoided.

[0068] In summary, for the bipolar plate shaping device of the flow battery of the present invention, by setting the whole machine in the form of a four-column press, it is convenient to uniformly press the large-area bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery that need to be pressurized; by arranging the asbestos backing plate frame 6 between the bottom platform 2 and the pressing plate assembly, on the one hand, it plays a role of spacing, preventing the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery from being crushed and limiting the pressing height, and on the other hand, it plays a role of enclosing to prevent heat loss, ensuring that the temperatures of the periphery and the middle of the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery are uniform. The bipolar plate shaping device of the flow battery of the present invention performs thermal shaping on the carbon-plastic composite bipolar plate, making the warpage degree of the bipolar plate sheets qualified and improving the product yield. In addition, by adding multiple horizontally stacked pressing plates 5, a bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery can be placed on each of the lower pressing plates 5, so that a single shaping action can synchronously shape multiple bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery, improving the operation efficiency; by elastically spacing the guide sleeves 504 with compression springs 7, the pressing plates 5 are spaced apart, facilitating the placement and removal of the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery. By setting the detachable sealing backing plate 601 at one end of the asbestos backing plate frame 6, it is convenient to operate when placing and removing the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery. By adding the heat insulation pad on the bottom surface of the lower pressing head 401, the heat transfer from the pressing plate 5 upward can be reduced, increasing the service life of the acting cylinder 4. By adding the split thickening partition plate 503, the upper and lower surfaces can act on the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery at the same time. Secondly, on the one hand, it is convenient to separately heat the thickening partition plate 503, and on the other hand, it avoids jamming when the pressing plate 5 is thermally deformed and cooperates with the column 3, and cannot continue the sliding fit. By opening the oil circuit structure on the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503, the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503 can be uniformly heated with heat-conducting oil. By setting the oil circuit structure with vertically and horizontally arranged oil channels, the heat-conducting oil uniformly passes through the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503, thereby realizing the uniform temperature rise of the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery. By setting the fuel tank 8 including the hot oil cavity 801 and the cold oil cavity 802 as the heat-conducting oil storage component of the temperature control assembly, not only can the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503 be heated but also cooled, shortening the shaping process time and improving the operation efficiency; by setting the switching valve 10, the alternating operation of the hot oil cavity 801 and the cold oil cavity 802 can be realized. By adding the air valve 11, the bottom platform 2 and the thickening partition plate 503 can be air-cooled. Compared with oil cooling, it maintains a relatively gentle cooling rate, avoiding distortion or stress deformation caused by sudden cooling of the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery.

[0069] The present invention also discloses a bipolar plate shaping process for a flow battery, which uses the bipolar plate shaping device described in the above embodiment to shape the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery. The shaping process of the present invention mainly aims at the carbon-plastic composite bipolar plate with a polypropylene substrate and includes the following steps:

[0070] S1. Prepare materials. Place the warped bipolar plate on the material tank. Place the flow battery bipolar plate sheets to be straightened onto the bottom platform 2 and each thickened separator 503 one by one from bottom to top. When placing, note that the flow battery bipolar plate sheets are located within the asbestos gasket frame 6, and place the sealing gasket 601 properly, taking care not to have wrinkles or folded edges.

[0071] S2. Apply initial pressure and heat up. Apply a pressure of 0.5 MPa and heat up by 50 degrees, and maintain the temperature and pressure for 0.2 hours. Operate the control panel of the electric control box 12, the actuating cylinder 4 acts, the lower pressing head 401 presses tightly on the top thickened separator 503, and continues to press downwards. During this process, the compression spring 7 is elastically compressed, and all the thickened separators 503 are stacked and pressed tightly onto the bottom platform 2. When the electric contact pressure gauge of the pump station corresponding to the actuating cylinder 4 reaches the set initial pressure value, the pump station stops and maintains the pressure. At the same time, the temperature control component starts to work, the valve core block of the switching valve 10 switches to the heating station, and the heat transfer oil in the hot oil cavity 801 is circulated by the pump to the oil circuit structure, and the oil temperature and oil supply flow rate of the hot oil cavity 801 are controlled by the feedback of the thermocouple.

[0072] S3. Heat up and maintain pressure. Heat up by 165 degrees and apply a pressure of 2 MPa for 0.5 hours. After step S2 reaches the set time, operate the control panel of the electric control box 12, the actuating cylinder 4 continues to increase the pressure. When the electric contact pressure gauge of the pump station corresponding to the actuating cylinder 4 reaches the set final pressure value, the pump station stops and maintains the pressure. The heat transfer oil in the hot oil cavity 801 is circulated by the pump to the oil circuit structure, and through the feedback of the thermocouple, the oil temperature of the hot oil cavity 801 is heated to 180 degrees and the oil supply flow rate is increased, so that the thickened separator 503 and the bottom platform 2 are heated to the set temperature.

[0073] S4. Air-cooling for temperature reduction. Maintain a pressure of 0.5 MPa and cool down to 80 degrees. After step S3 reaches the set time, operate the control panel of the electric control box 12, the actuating cylinder 4 retracts and then applies pressure again. When the electric contact pressure gauge of the pump station corresponding to the actuating cylinder 4 returns to the set initial pressure value again, the pump station stops and maintains the pressure. First, the valve core block of the switching valve 10 switches to the evacuation station, and the remaining heat transfer oil in the oil circuit structure is pushed out by compressed air and discharged back to the hot oil cavity 801. Then the valve core block of the switching valve 10 switches to the air-cooling station, and the air pump supplies compressed air through the air valve 11 and the switching valve 10 to enter the oil circuit structure to air-cool the bottom platform 2 and the thickened separator 503, and finally the returned compressed air is discharged through the muffler 1102.

[0074] S5. Oil-cooling for temperature reduction. Maintain a pressure of 0.5 MPa and cool down to room temperature. After observing that the temperatures of the bottom platform 2 and the thickened separator 503 have dropped to 80 degrees, the valve core block of the switching valve 10 switches to the refrigeration station, and the heat transfer oil in the cold oil cavity 802 is circulated by the pump to the oil circuit structure to oil-cool the bottom platform 2 and the thickened separator 503, so that the bottom platform 2 and the thickened separator 503 are quickly cooled down to room temperature.

[0075] S6. Discharging. After the temperature is lowered to room temperature, the temperature control component stops working. Operate the control panel of the electric control box 12, and the actuating cylinder 4 retracts until the pressing head 401 leaves the top thickened partition 503. The compression spring 7 resets to separate the pressing plates 5 from each other. The operator manually removes each thickened partition 503 and the bottom platform 2, and observes whether the wrinkles, bulges or depressions are flattened. If there is no problem, they are put into the finished product warehouse; otherwise, they are put into the waste warehouse.

[0076] For the shaping process of the bipolar plate of the flow battery of the present invention, the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery to be shaped is shaped by gradually increasing pressure and temperature, maintaining temperature and pressure, and gradually cooling and decompressing. While being able to reshape, there is no thermal shock during the whole process, ensuring the stability and continuity of the internal materials of the bipolar plate and not reducing the electrical performance. Moreover, the oil heating, air cooling and oil cooling all use the same set of built-in oil circuit structure, making the structure compact, with small heat and cold loss and high energy utilization efficiency.

[0077] In this specification, the various embodiments are described in a progressive manner. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. For the same or similar parts among the various embodiments, reference can be made to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and reference can be made to the description of the method part for related parts.

[0078] The above-described embodiments are only descriptions of the preferred modes of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various deformations and improvements made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery, characterized in that: include: The frame (1) has four columns (3) vertically arranged on the top plate, a crossbeam plate is horizontally installed on the top of the column (3), an action cylinder (4) is vertically installed in the middle of the crossbeam plate, and the downward pressure head (401) of the action cylinder (4) presses the pressure plate assembly; A bottom platform (2) is horizontally arranged on the top plate of the frame (1); an asbestos pad frame (6) is arranged on the top surface of the bottom platform (2); a bipolar plate sheet of a flow battery that needs to be corrected is placed in the asbestos pad frame (6); the thickness of the asbestos pad frame (6) is adapted to the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery; and the pressing plate assembly presses the bipolar plate sheet of the flow battery flat onto the top surface of the bottom platform (2); A temperature regulating component is used to heat the bottom platform (2) and the pressing plate component.

2. The bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressure plate assembly comprises a plurality of horizontally stacked pressure plates (5), wherein the four corners of the pressure plate (5) are provided with guide sleeves (504) which are slidably connected to the upright column (3), and compression springs (7) which isolate the pressure plates (5) are provided between adjacent guide sleeves (504) and between the lowest guide sleeve (504) and the top plate of the frame (1); a set of asbestos pad frames (6) are provided on the top surface of each pressure plate (5) except the top pressure plate (5), and the bipolar plate sheets of the flow battery that need to be corrected are placed in the asbestos pad frames (6); and the temperature control assembly heats the pressure plate (5).

3. The bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery according to claim 2, characterized in that: The asbestos pad frame (6) is a rectangular frame, and the side strip facing the operator's operating end is a detachable sealing pad (601).

4. The bipolar plate shaping device for a flow battery according to claim 2, characterized in that: A heat insulation pad is compounded on the horizontal bottom surface of the lower pressure head (401), and the heat insulation pad is in contact with the top surface of the uppermost pressure plate (5).

5. The bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery according to claim 2, characterized in that: A rectangular opening is provided in the middle of the pressing plate (5), and a thickened partition plate (503) with increased thickness is installed in the rectangular opening, wherein the thickness of the thickened partition plate (503) is greater than the height of the guide sleeve (504); and the asbestos pad frame (6) is placed on the top surface of the thickened partition plate (503).

6. The bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery according to claim 5, characterized in that: The temperature regulating component is a heat transfer oil supply unit. The bottom platform (2) and the thickened partition plate (503) are both provided with an oil circuit structure. The temperature regulating component supplies circulating heat transfer oil to the oil circuit structure.

7. The bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery according to claim 6, characterized in that: The oil circuit structure comprises an oil inlet pipe joint (501), an oil outlet pipe joint (502), an oil inlet transverse pipe (505), a branch pipe (506) and an oil outlet transverse pipe (507); the oil inlet transverse pipe (505) and the oil outlet transverse pipe (507) are arranged on both sides of the bottom platform (2) and the thickened partition plate (503) along the long side direction; a plurality of branch pipes (506) are vertically connected between the oil inlet transverse pipe (505) and the oil outlet transverse pipe (507); the root of the oil inlet pipe joint (501) is connected to the middle position of the oil inlet transverse pipe (505), and the two oil outlet pipe joints (502) are connected to the two ends of the oil outlet transverse pipe (507); the oil outlet port of the temperature control component is connected to all the oil inlet pipe joints (501) through a corrugated pipe, and all the oil outlet pipe joints (502) are connected to the oil return port of the temperature control component after converging through the corrugated pipe.

8. The bipolar plate shaping device for a liquid flow battery according to claim 7, characterized in that: The temperature control component comprises an oil tank (8), an oil pump (9) and a switching valve (10); the oil tank (8) comprises a hot oil chamber (801) and a cold oil chamber (802); the switching valve (10) is capable of switching the oil pump (9) to pump the heat transfer oil of the hot oil chamber (801) or the cold oil chamber (802) to the oil inlet pipe joint (501) and return the oil to the corresponding oil chamber.

9. The bipolar plate shaping device for a flow battery according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also comprises an air valve (11), the switching valve (10) being a multi-position switching valve block, the air valve (11) being connected to an emptying position or an air cooling position of the switching valve (10); an air inlet pipe joint (1101) at an air inlet end of the air valve (11) being connected to a compressed air supply unit, and an air outlet end of the air valve (11) being connected to a muffler (1102).

10. A liquid flow battery bipolar plate shaping process, characterized in that: The liquid flow battery bipolar plate shaping device described in claim 9 is used to shape the liquid flow battery bipolar plate sheet, comprising the following steps: S1. Prepare the material and place the warped bipolar plate on the material trough; S2, initial pressurization and temperature increase, pressurization 0.5MPa, temperature increase 50 degrees; S3, heating and pressure maintenance, heating to 165 degrees, pressurizing to 2MPa, for 0.5 hours; S4, air cooling, maintain pressure at 0.5MPa, and cool to 80 degrees; S5, oil cooling, maintaining pressure at 0.5MPa, cooling to room temperature; S6. Discharging.

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